The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-12-10
TURKISH SCHOOLS.
teaching the Young Idea in the
Ottoman Empire.
TIE Branches Taught in Pri-
mary and Normal Schools.

bratcd with ceremonies that aye uEhcasd /
OF in Amcri'a. says :. s Cox il Youths ,
Comnauiou. VI other such PONIES arn ;
to be found rs the spirited iroa-Sray
ronic, OF the east, an | oac OF these i
gorrcously caparisonci for the new pu-
Ill who is met at his fathers house by
all the school, dressed in holiday
clothes
A priest makes n short PRAYER, the
child X paced upon his pony, and the
pupils. males and females, are lormc.l in
double line. The procession moves,
singing hymns as they go, with the little
hero of the day following, and thus Inc
is initiated into the new world of learn
ing.
In the primary schools boys and girls
are educated together The teachers
are taken from the priesthood, and from
the graduates of the theological univcr-
si,ies who have learned TO read the ''Ko-
ran" which is written in Arabic, and
which all good Musselmen must learn
how to read. Persons Of this class of
teachers are consequently stringent re-
hgionists. and some of them are quite
fanatical If the pupil does not acquire
much discipline or information pertain
ing TO modern material progress, it Is
because tine twig is not bent il that di-
rcction.
A primary school is composed of one
e. two rooms, or ''hoies in the wall
With three divans for the pupils and i
seal for the teacher. The pupils sit
cross-.c--cl IN line on tllc 4iyaHs,
h-lGip4 ',irir book, Oh their kn'c< and
recit,ng nj. at me same time, in a !ogi,
>hrili,oicc They learn grammar AMI Inc
four 1li"~ of arithmetic.
Whom tl,y are able TO read from thc
Koran little, they take up writing, and,
=, there are no writing tables or desks,
shcr hold thc:e copy-book' in their
ilnd, Thu isa..tkey education they re-
Ct.F" Ia thc primary SCHOOLS.
nc>lc> thc primary, there are four
superior schools. except the military and
naval schools, aud TIL school of medi-
cine. established in 1880. aud outside of
these no education i, to be had. Wealthy
men engage European teachers to help
their children Ill the s."'y of languages
and modern acience; rut the common
people hnyc to satisfy themselves with
thu little that is to be obtained at the
primary sclbols. II any one is astouished
that tbs governing class in Turkey
generally talk French and often Eng
li>a, Greek. Italian and German, it may
be stated that The Turk has an aptitude,
like the Russian. for tongues, and makes
hi@ necessity the mother of his--study.
Duin" tho reign OF Sultan Abdul
Nediid. some thirty five years ago, AZ
effort was made To spread normal schools
throughout, the Einpir, but without
success. II is only during the rcign o'
education ha, been earnestly taken up.
l. the r"ur-c oi eight nr nine years, tn
Administrator of Public Instruction has
established. throughout the Empire j;
Frrorc. Asia and Africa. three hundred
ana ,l@hty- eight primary and norma
school. and ia,t year there were twenty
th.a>and and nincty-thrcc students.
BcSid,.> ticsa. there are eighty pri
mary and norma. schools in CONSTANT
rorie, III which there are five hundred
and forty students, two hundred anC
scyenty-vc bcin" in the free school. tn,
only one in th- empir,', ard six h,ndrc,
and thirty-four in private schools. Thu
programme of the studies j. divided int
four years, and the pupils must rccitc J.,
heart, beside writin" down the lessons
which include ca!lic raphy, arithmetic
history, grammar and theology. Nor
time, however, i givcn to the study o
the Koran than To anything else.
NJ account Of The education Of voun:
Turk woul hc complete without som
reference to the >torytcl,-r- "a. tn East
who have a> much iniI'nc- a.. the pro
fcs>or> %. maiAcma.i-, u,l history. Il
the early training oil tiie child rs !,
nurse and tutor, wonderful stories ar
told to him 10 inculcatc moral and rel
Z Al. L 4